Instrument

ABSTRACT

A measuring apparatus in which the necessity of a light conductor for illuminating the front panel can be eliminated and cost reduction and slimming is realized, comprising: a circuit board  1 ; an instrument body  3  disposed on the circuit board  1  and including a drive shaft  2  extending forward; a pointer  4  to be fitted on the tip side of the drive shaft  2 ; a front panel  5  disposed between the pointer  4  and the circuit board  1  for illuminating at least the display portion  52 ; a light source  6  disposed in front of the circuit board  1  on the side where the drive shaft  2  resides with respect to the display portion  52 ; a reflector  7  to be disposed between the front panel  5  and the circuit board  1 ; and the circuit board  1  including a first reflecting portion  75  facing to the light source  6  for reflecting the illumination from the light source  6  toward the outer periphery, and a second reflecting portion  77  extending outward with an appropriate space interposed between itself and the front panel  5  so as to surround the light source  6  for reflecting the illumination toward the front panel  5.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an instrument apparatus to be mounted,for example, on the vehicle, and more specifically, to a structure ofillumination thereof.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

As an instrument apparatus of this type, the one comprising aninstrument body having a projecting drive shaft being mounted on thecircuit board, a pointer that gleams with a light supplied from thecenter of the rotation thereof mounted on the tip of the drive shaft,and a front panel having a translucent display portion such as a scaleor letters provided along the orbit of the pointer mounted behind thepointer, wherein the display portion of the front panel and the pointerare illuminated by the light source disposed behind the front panel isknown.

More specifically, as shown in the publication of Japanese PatentLaid-Open No.105649/1997 for example, an instrument apparatus comprisingan instrument body and a light source being disposed side-by-side infront of the circuit board, a light conductor of a shape bypassing theinstrument body disposed behind the front panel, wherein a illuminatinglight is conducted to behind the front panel by the light conductor toilluminate the display portion (in this case, the pointer is alsoilluminated by the light conductor) is generally used. Such a structurethat has a light conductor is advantageous in that the variations inillumination on the entire display portion can easily be prevented incomparison with the structure in which a plurality of light sources aredisposed immediately under the front panel to illuminate the displayportion directly (for example, see the publication of Japanese UtilityModel Laid-Open No.33020/1993).

As shown in the publication of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.21655/1997,for example, a structure in which an instrument body is disposed behindthe circuit board, and a light source comprising a light emitting diode,a light conductor extending from the area in the vicinity of the driveshaft along the front panel toward the outside, and a reflector forsupporting the light conductor from behind are disposed in the area infront of the circuit board (the area in the vicinity of the drive shaft)that is left as a free space because the instrument body is disposedbehind thereof, so that the illumination is conducted to the outerperiphery of the drive shaft by the light conductor to illuminate thedisplay portion (in this case, the pointer is illuminated simultaneouslyby a direct light), is also known. Such a structure has many advantagessuch that the light source and the front panel can be disposed in thevicinity with each other by placing the instrument body behind thecircuit board, that an uniform and blight illumination is realized whileslimming the entire structure of illumination by providing a lightconductor of a plate shape between the reflector and the front panel,and so on.

However, the instrument apparatuses shown in the publications ofJapanese Patent Laid-open No.105649/1997 and Japanese Patent Laid-OpenNo.21655/1997 are both require the light conductor, and thus there isrecognized problem in that the cost of parts and the weight of theentire apparatus increase and the structure of illumination in creasesin complexity correspondingly. In addition, in the instrument apparatusshown in these publications, simply eliminating the light conductor mayresult in variations in illumination or lowering of luminance, therebylowering the quality of the illumination significantly.

With these circumstanced in view, an object of the present invention isto provide an instrument apparatus in which at least a light conductivebody can be eliminated for illumination of the front panel by improvingthe structure of illumination, so that weight reduction can be achievedat low cost.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

The instrument apparatus of the present invention comprises: a circuitboard; an instrument body disposed on the circuit board and providedwith a drive shaft extending forward; a pointer to be fitted on the tipside of the drive shaft; a front panel disposed between the pointer andthe circuit board and including a display portion having a scale,characters, and the like corresponding to the pointer; a light sourcedisposed at the position in front of the circuit board and the inside(on the side where the drive shaft resides) with respect to the displayportion, for illuminating the display portion; and a reflector to bedisposed between the front panel and the circuit board. The reflector isformed with a first reflecting portion at the position facing to thelight source in the direction of the axis of the drive shaft forreflecting a light from the light source toward the outer periphery, andwith a second reflecting portion disposed outside (the position of theouter periphery) of the first reflecting portion extending outwardlywith an airspace interposed between itself and the front panel so as tosurround the light source for reflecting the illumination reflected fromthe first reflecting portion toward the front panel, so that theillumination conducted by the second reflecting portion illuminates thedisplay portion.

In this manner, by illuminating the front panel (display portion) viathe first and the second reflecting portion of the reflector, the frontpanel can be brightly and almost uniformly illuminated without using thelight conductor. Therefore, a satisfactory quality of the illuminationis achieved, and thus the light conductor can be eliminated forilluminating the front panel, thereby realizing cost reduction andweight reduction.

The light source is preferably disposed at a prescribed distance awayfrom the display portion toward the side where the drive shaft resides,and the second reflecting portion is formed so as to cover the areabehind the front panel including the display portion.

In the instrument apparatus of the present invention, illumination ofthe pointer may also be accomplished by disposing the instrument bodybehind the circuit board with the drive shaft passed through the circuitboard, constructing the pointer of a light-emitting pointer that emits alight upon reception of the light supply from the center of rotationthereof, forming the front panel with a through hole for exposing thecenter of rotation of the pointer; disposing the light source at theposition corresponding to the through hole, and forming the reflectorwith a opening at the position corresponding to the through hole forallowing the illumination to pass through and advance toward the centerof rotation of the pointer.

In this case, since a light from the light source illuminates thedisplay portion of the front panel via the first and the secondreflecting portion of the reflector, and simultaneously, illuminates thepointer via the opening of the reflector and the through hole of thefront panel, the light conductor can be eliminated not only forilluminating the front panel, but also for illuminating the pointer. Inaddition, since a common light source can be used for illuminate thefront panel and the pointer, the necessity to specifically provide alight source for the pointer may be eliminated, thereby realizing costreduction and weight reduction.

The light source may be disposed so as to face to the first reflectingportion in the direction of the axis of drive shaft, at the positionwhere the illumination can be supplied toward the pointer through theopening of the reflector and the through hole of the front panel. Byproviding a cylindrical portion on the reflector within the firstreflecting portion so as to surround the opening, the illumination fromthe light source can be guided toward the pointer, thereby increasingefficiency to illuminate the pointer.

The instrument apparatus of the present invention may also beconstructed by disposing the instrument body behind the circuit boardwith the drive shaft passed through the circuit board, constructing thepointer of a light-emitting pointer that emits a light upon reception ofthe light supply from the center of the rotation thereof, forming thefront panel with a through hole for exposing the center of rotation ofthe pointer, disposing a first light source for illuminating the pointerat the position corresponding to the through hole on the front side ofthe circuit board, disposing the second light source for illuminatingthe display portion at the position outside with respect to the firstlight source and on the side where the drive shaft resides (the inside)with respect to the display portion, providing the reflector with anopening for allowing the illumination from the first light source topass through toward the center of rotation of the pointer, with a firstreflecting portion facing to the second light source and reflecting theillumination from the second light source toward the outer peripherythereof, and with a second reflecting portion extending outwardly withan airspace interposed between itself and the front panel so as tosurround the second light source for reflecting the illuminationreflected from the first reflecting portion toward the front panel, sothat the display portion and the pointer are simultaneously illuminated.

In this case, since the illumination from the first light source reachesthe center of rotation of the pointer through the opening on thereflector and the through hole on the front panel to illuminate thepointer, and the illumination emitted from the second light sourcereaches the display portion of the front panel through the first and thesecond reflecting portion on the reflector to illuminate the displayportion, the light conductor can be eliminated not only for illuminatingthe front panel, but also for illuminating the pointer, therebyrealizing cost reduction and weight reduction. In addition, since thefirst and second light sources are provided for illuminating the frontpanel and the pointer respectively, the quantity of light reaching thefront panel and the pointer may be increased, thereby increasing theilluminating luminance.

In this structure as well, the second light source is preferablydisposed at a prescribed distance away from the display portion on theside where the drive shaft resides, and the second reflecting portion isformed so as to cover at least the area behind the front panel includinga display portion.

When the first source for illuminating the pointer and the second lightsource for illuminating the front panel are provided as described above,by providing a partition surrounding the opening and extending in thedirection of the axis of the drive shaft on the reflector so that thefirst light source and the second light source are separated by thepartition, the partition can serve as a light guide portion for guidingthe illumination from the first light source to the pointer to increasethe illuminating efficiency of the pointer. When the reflector has acylindrical portion surrounding the opening, the partition can be formedfrom the cylindrical portion continuously. In this case, it is alsopossible to provide the first reflecting portion on the partition. Insuch a structure, the structure of the reflector can be simplified.

In the structures described above, preferably, the first reflectingportion is inclined by a prescribed angle with respect to the frontpanel to form of an inclined surface or an inclined curved surface forreflecting a light from the light source toward the outer periphery(toward the second reflecting portion). In this case, by forming theinclined surface or the inclined curved surface constituting the firstreflecting portion into a conical shape surrounding the drive shaft, alight from the light source can be reflected toward the outer peripheryin good balance. The first reflecting portion can also be formedseparately from the reflector.

In the structures described above, the second reflecting portion ispreferably formed of an inclined surface or the inclined curved surfacethat approaches said front panel with the distance from the center.However, by providing the inclined surface or the inclined curvedsurface constituting the second reflecting portion so that the inclinedangle with respect to the front panel increases with the distance fromthe center, the front panel can be illuminated more uniformly.

The instrument apparatus of the present invention comprises: a circuitboard; an instrument body disposed on the circuit board and providedwith a drive shaft extending forward; a pointer to be fitted on the tipside of the drive shaft; a front panel disposed between the pointer andthe circuit board and including a display portion having a scale,characters, and the like corresponding to the pointer; a light sourcedisposed at the position in front of the circuit board and the inside(the side where the drive shaft resides) with respect to the displayportion, for illuminating the display portion, and a reflector to bedisposed between the front panel and the circuit board. The light sourceis held by the circuit board in such a manner that the light-emittingportion faces toward the opposite side (outside) with respect to theside where the drive shaft resides, and the reflector is formed with areflecting portion extending outwardly so as to surround the lightsource with an airspace interposed between itself and the front panelfor reflecting the illumination emitted from the light-emitting portiontoward the front panel, so that the illumination reflected on thereflecting portion reaches the front panel through the airspace toilluminate the display portion.

In this manner, the front panel can be illuminated brightly and almostuniformly without using the light conductor by reflecting theillumination from the light source of which the light-emitting portionfaces toward the opposite side from the side where the drive shaftresides through the reflecting portion of the reflector. Therefore, asatisfactory quality of illumination can be realized, and thus the lightconcudtor can be eliminated for illuminating the front panel, therebyrealizing cost reduction and weight reduction.

In the instrument apparatus of the present invention, but not limited tothis structure, it is preferable to provide a plurality of light sourcesfor illuminating the front panel (second light sources) on theconcentric circles with the drive shaft as a center. With such anarrangement, bright and well-balanced illumination can be achieved.

The instrument apparatus of the present invention comprises: a circuitboard; an instrument body disposed on the circuit board and providedwith a drive shaft extending forward; a pointer to be fitted on the tipside of the drive shaft and emitting a light upon reception of the lightsupply from the center of rotation; a front panel disposed between thepointer and the circuit board and including a display portioncorresponding to the pointer and a through hole for exposing the centerof rotation of the pointer; a first light source disposed in front ofthe circuit board at the position corresponding to the through hole forilluminating the pointer; a second light source disposed outside withrespect to the first light source in front of the circuit board but onthe side where the drive shaft resides with respect to the displayportion for illuminating the display portion; and a reflector disposedbetween the front panel and the circuit board. The first light sourcefor illuminating the pointer is held on the circuit board in such amanner that the light-emitting portion faces toward the pointer (thefront), and the second light source for illuminating the front panel isheld by the circuit board in such a manner that the light-emittingportion faces toward the side where the drive shaft resides (theoutside). On the other hand, the reflector is formed with an opening atthe position corresponding to the through hole for allowing theillumination from the first light source for illuminating the pointer topass through toward the center of rotation of the pointer and with areflecting portion extending outward with an airspace interposed betweenitself and the front panel so as to surround the second light source forilluminating the front panel for reflecting the illuminating light fromthe second light source toward said front panel.

In such a manner, by illuminating the pointer by allowing theillumination from the first light source of which the light-emittingportion faces toward the pointer reach the center of rotation of thepointer through the opening on the reflector and the through hole of thefront panel, and by illuminating the front panel by allowing theillumination from the second light source of which the light-emittingportion faces opposite from the side where the drive shaft resides toreach the front panel after reflecting on the reflecting portion of thereflector, the light conductor can be eliminated not only forilluminating the front panel, but also for illuminating the pointer,thereby realizing cost reduction and weight reduction. In addition,specifically providing the first and the second light sources for thefront panel and the pointer respectively enables to increase thequantity of light reaching the front panel and the pointer respectively,thereby increasing the illuminating luminance.

In this case, when the reflecting portion is formed of an inclinedsurface or the inclined curved surface that approaches the front panelwith the distance from the center thereof, the illuminating efficiencycan be increased. In such a case, providing the inclined surface or theinclined curved surface constituting the reflecting portion so that theinclined angle with respect to the front panel increases with thedistance from the center is advantageous to obtain a uniformillumination on the front panel.

When a partition surrounding the opening and extending in the directionof the axis of the drive shaft is provided on the reflector so that thefirst light source and the second light source are separated by thepartition, the partition can serve as a light guide portion for guidingthe illumination from the first light source to the pointer to increasethe illuminating efficiency of the pointer.

In the instrument apparatus of the present invention, but not limited tothis structure, when the first light source for illuminating the pointerand the second light source for illuminating the front panel areprovided, it is preferable to provide a plurality of first and secondlight sources on the concentric circles with the drive shaft as acenter. With such an arrangement, bright and well-balanced illuminationcan be achieved.

When the color of emitted light is different between the first lightsource and the second light source, employment of the partition forseparating the first light source and the second light source iseffective, because the partition can prevent interference of the colorsof emitted lights from the respective light sources.

In the instrument apparatus of the present invention, when the firstreflecting portion and the second reflecting portion are provided on thereflector, a reflecting film for enhancing the reflectivity of light maybe provided on any one of the area of the front panel facing to thefirst reflecting portion or the same facing to the second reflectingportion. When providing only a reflecting portion on the reflector, areflecting film for enhancing the reflectivity of light may be providedon the area of the front panel facing to the reflecting portion.

Since the reflecting film is provided in this way, the illuminationsupplied to the front panel may be increased to increase theilluminating luminance, thereby enabling the uniform and brightillumination.

When forming a reflecting film on the front panel, the illuminatingefficiency can be increased by forming the reflecting film so as toavoid the area of display portion and to closely surround the displayportion. Employing the reflecting film in a metallic color isadvantageous to increase the efficiency of light reflection, and in thiscase, the efficiency of the light reflection can further be increased byforming the surface of the reflecting film in a mirror-finished surface.As a metallic color, a silver color has little effect on the color ofthe illumination and is good in general versatility. As a method offorming the reflecting film, for example, any suitable means such asvapor deposition, plating, painting and coating, printing,transcription, adhesion of light-reflex-processed film or a plate may beemployed. However, in the case of providing a reflecting film on thefront panel, formation by printing is most suitable.

In the instrument apparatus of the present invention, an arbitrary typeof a movement for instrument may be employed as an instrument body.However, by arranging the instrument body behind the circuit board sothat the drive shaft passes through the circuit board and extendsforward, the body portion of the instrument body is not placed in frontof the circuit board, and thus the flexibility of the layout of thelight sources (first and second light sources) is enhanced. Such anarrangement of the instrument body is especially effective for thestructure in which the light source is disposed behind the center ofrotation of the pointer.

In the instrument apparatus of the present invention, the reflector maybe formed of desired material such as a metal having a light reflectingproperty, a synthetic resin, and the like. However, forming thereflector of a synthetic resin of whitish color is effective forachieving the effective illumination or weight reduction, and inaddition, the reflecting efficiency may be increased by forming the wallsurface of the reflector into a glossy surface.

In the instrument apparatus of the present invention, though the lightsource, or the first and the second light sources may employ anarbitrary light emitting element, a light-emitting diode is preferable,in view of the directivity, the heat build-up, and the effect to theenvironment.

In the instrument apparatus of the present invention, since the frontside of the front panel is covered with the semi-translucent panel of adark color, at least the illuminated image on the front panel can beshown in high contrast against the dark background, and thus a qualityappearance is added and marketability may be enhanced despite of it slowcost and light weight.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 to FIG. 5 show a first embodiment of the present invention, inwhich FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the instrumentapparatus; FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the assembled state of theinstrument apparatus of FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a perspective view of thereflector; FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view taken along the line A—A inFIG. 2; and FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view taken along the line B—B inFIG. 2. FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view showing the second embodimentof the present invention; FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view showing thethird embodiment of the present invention. From FIG. 8 to FIG. 13 showthe fourth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is anexploded perspective view of the instrument apparatus; FIG. 9 is a planview showing the assembled state of the instrument apparatus of FIG. 8;FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the reflector; FIG. 11 is a crosssectional view taken along the line A—A in FIG. 9; FIG. 12 is a crosssectional view taken along the line B—B in FIG. 9; and FIGS. 13(a), (b)are cross sectional views showing the internal structure of the lightsource. FIG. 14 is a cross sectional view of the principal portionshowing the fifth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 15 to FIG.17 show the sixth embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 15is a cross sectional view of the instrument apparatus; FIG. 16 is anenlarged cross sectional view of the area shown by the arrow P1 in FIG.15; and FIG. 17 is an enlarged cross sectional view of the area shown bythe arrow P2 in FIG. 15. FIG. 18 is a cross sectional view of theinstrument apparatus showing the seventh embodiment of the presentinvention. FIG. 19 and FIG. 20 show the eighth embodiment of the presentinvention, in which FIG. 19 is a plan view showing the principal portionon the front side of the instrument apparatus; and FIG. 20 is a crosssectional view taken along the line A—A in FIG. 19. FIG. 21 is a crosssectional view of the instrument apparatus showing the ninth embodimentof the present invention.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Referring now to FIG. 1 to FIG. 5, the first embodiment of the presentinvention will be described.

In FIG. 1, the instrument apparatus of the first embodiment of thepresent invention comprises; a circuit board 1; an instrument body 3conductively fixed to the circuit board 1 and including a drive shaft 2extending forward; a pointer 4 to be fitted on the tip side of the driveshaft 2; a front panel 5 disposed between the pointer 4 and the circuitboard 1; a light source 6 disposed in front of the circuit board 1 inthe vicinity around the drive shaft 2, and the reflector 7 disposedbetween the front panel 5 and the circuit board 1.

The circuit board 1 is formed, for example, of a hard circuit boardformed by applying a wiring pattern (not shown) on a glass epoxysubstrate, and drive means (not shown) for driving and controlling theinstrument body 3 and various circuit components (not shown) such as aresistance, a condenser, and the like for example are conductivelyconnected to said wiring pattern.

The instrument body 3 comprises a moving magnet type instrument or astepping motor, which is fitted behind the circuit board 1 so that thedriving shaft 2 pass through the shaft hole 11 formed on the circuitboard 1, and is electrically connected to said wiring pattern (saiddrive means) by means of a suitable conductive means such as solderingor the like.

The pointer 4 comprises, as shown in FIG. 4 specifically later, aindicating portion 41 formed of a translucent synthetic resin, and acover 42 for covering the outer periphery of the center of rotation R ofthe indicating portion 41, wherein the indicating portion 41 extendslinearly along the front panel 5, and the center of rotation R is formedwith a light-receiving reflecting portion 43 that receives a lightemitted from the light source 6 disposed behind and reflects andconducts the received illumination toward the tip portion thereof.

The front panel 5 is a thin plate substrate formed of a translucentsynthetic resin (not shown) having a ground color portion 51 oflight-blocking ink and a display portion 52 of translucent coloring ink,in which only the display portion 52 is formed to have a translucency,and the display portion 52 includes a scale and characters arrangedalong the orbit of the pointer 4 as the objects of indication, and athrough hole 53 for exposing the center of rotation R of the pointer 4is formed at the position corresponding to the drive shaft 2.

The light source 6 comprises for example a chip-type light-emittingdiodes, and a plurality of chip-type light-emitting diodes are arrangedin front of the circuit board 1 and a prescribed distance away from thedisplay portion 52 of the front panel 5 on the side where the driveshaft 2 resides, in this case, a plurality of chip-type light-emittingdiodes are arranged in the vicinity of margins of the shaft hole 11 orthe drive shaft 2, and a plurality of the same are arranged on theconcentric circles with the drive shaft 2 as a center at almost regularintervals.

The reflector 7 is an injection-molded body formed of a whitishsynthetic resin in the shape of a case, and, as shown in FIG. 3 to FIG.5, comprises a peripheral wall portion 71 formed into an annular shapecorresponding to the shape of arrangement of the display portion 52 onthe front panel 5, a extending portion 72 extending from the front sideof the peripheral wall portion 71 partially along the front panel 5toward the center (toward the drive shaft 2), a cylindrical portion 74supported by the extending portion 72 and having an opening 73 at theposition corresponding to the through hole 53 on the front panel 5, anda first reflecting portion 75 extending from the rear end of thecylindrical portion 74 in the oblique direction so as to surround thecylindrical portion 74 at a prescribed distance and to face to the lightsource 6, an annular opening 76 formed on the bottom side at theposition corresponding to the first reflecting portion 75 and thecylindrical portion 74 and serving as a die-cut hole when the firstreflecting portion 75 and the cylindrical portion 74 are molded, and asecond reflecting portion 77 extending from the front side of theperipheral wall portion 71 except for the extending portion 72 in thedirection toward the light source 6 (toward the side of the opening).

In this case, at least the inner surface of the outer wall surface ofthe cylindrical portion 74, the outer wall surface of the firstreflecting portion 75 on the side of the light source 6, and the outerwall surface of the second reflecting portion 77 on the side of thefront panel 5 are formed into a glossy surface by surface polishing ofthe forming die or clear coating after molding. Though a plurality ofreflectors 7 are provided corresponding to the number of the instrumentbodies 3 in this embodiment, the plurality of reflectors 7 may be formedinto a single piece unit.

The cylindrical portion 74 extend s toward the light source 6 along theaxis of the drive shaft 2 so as to surround the opening 73, and servesto guide the illumination from the light source 6 passing through theopening 73 to the front side (to the side where the pointer 4 resides)and conduct to the center of rotation R of the pointer 4.

The first reflecting portion 75 is formed of an inclined surface ofalmost conical shape the diameter of which is larger on the side of thefront panel 5 and smaller on the side of the light source 6 so as tosurround the cylindrical portion 73, and faces toward the light source 6at a prescribed distance. The inclined angle is set to about 45 degreeswith respect to the surface of the front panel 5 and formed so as toreflect the illumination from the light source 6 toward the outerperiphery (toward the second reflecting portion 77). The firstreflecting portion 75 is supported together with the cylindrical portion74 by the extending portion 72, and the cross section thereof isapproximately V-shape as shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5.

The second reflecting portion 77 is a inclined surface extending towardoutside (front side of the peripheral wall portion 71) with an airspaceS interposed between itself and the front panel 5 so as to surround thelight source 6 and approaching the front panel 5 with the distance fromthe center, and is formed into a curved surface (inclined curvedsurface) the inclined angle of which with respect to the front panel 5increase with the distance from the center, so as to reflect theillumination reflected from the first reflecting portion 75 toward thefront panel 5. The second reflecting portion 77 and the first reflectingportion 75 are separated by the portion corresponding to the lightsource 6 (opening 76) so as to allow the direct light from the lightsource 6 and the reflecting light reflected from the first reflectingportion 75 to pass through toward the outer periphery, or toward thesecond reflecting portion 77. Since the first and second reflectingportions 75, 77 are separated with respect to each other, the airspace Scontinues to the light source 6 (the first reflecting portion 75), andconsequently, three components of the first reflecting portion 75, thesecond reflecting portion 77, and the airspace S constitute theillumination chamber that conduct the illumination from the light source6 toward the front panel 5.

In this case, the light source 6 is arranged at the position where itcan supply the illumination through the opening 73 and the through hole53 to the center of rotation R (light-receiving reflecting portion 43)of the pointer 4, and, simultaneously, a light through the first and thesecond reflecting portions 75, 77 to the front panel 5 (display portion52).

In such an arrangement, when the light source 6 emits a light, a part ofthe illumination is reflected by the first reflecting portion 75 of thereflector 7 toward the outer periphery (toward the second reflectingportion 77), and the illumination reached the second reflecting portion77 is again reflected by the second reflecting portion 77 toward thefront panel 5, whereby the display portion 52 arranged corresponding tothe orbit of the pointer 4 is illuminated brightly and almost uniformly,and a part of the illumination of the light source 6 is supplied throughthe opening 73 of the reflector 7 and the through hole 53 of the frontpanel 5 to the center of rotation R (light-receiving reflecting portion43) of the pointer 4, thereby illuminating the indicating portion 41 ofthe pointer 4 over the whole rotating range thereof.

As is described thus far, according to this embodiment, by providing acircuit board 1, an instrument body 3 disposed on the circuit board 1with a drive shaft 2 extended forward, a pointer 4 to be fitted to thetip of the drive shaft 2, a front panel 5 disposed between the pointer 4and the circuit board 1 and having a display portion 52 corresponding tothe pointer 4, a light source 6 disposed in front of the circuit board1, or on the side of the drive shaft 2 with respect to the displayportion 52 for illuminating at least the display portion 52, and areflector 7 to be disposed between the front panel 5 and the circuitboard 1, and providing the reflector 7 further with a first reflectingportion 75 facing to the light source 6 to reflect the illumination fromthe light source 6 toward the outer periphery and with a secondreflecting portion 77 extending outward with an airspace S interposedbetween itself and the front panel 5 so as to surround the light source6 for reflecting the illumination toward the front panel 5, the frontpanel 5 can be illuminated brightly and almost uniformly, therebyensuring the satisfactory quality of the illumination, which enables theelimination of the light conductor for illuminating the front panel andachievement of cost reduction and weight reduction.

In addition, since such an illuminating structure is applied,specifically designed dimming means for the uniformity of illumination(for example, disposition of a diffusion plate behind the front panel 5or printing of a dimming mask on the front panel 5 itself) are notnecessary, thereby contributing significantly to cost reduction.

Since it is constructed in such a manner that the illumination isreflected on the first reflecting portion 75 toward the outer periphery,the distance between the front panel 5 and the circuit board 1 can bereduced, which is advantageous for slimming of the apparatus.

According to this embodiment, in addition to the illuminating structureof the front panel 5 as described above, since the instrument body 3 isdisposed behind the circuit board 1 so that the drive shaft 2 is passedthrough the circuit board 1, constructing the pointer 4 of alight-emitting pointer that emits a light upon reception of the lightsupply from the center of rotation R, forming a through hole 53 forexposing the center of rotation R of the pointer 4 on the front panel 5,disposing the light source 6 at the position corresponding to thethrough hole 53, and providing the reflector 7 with an opening 73 forallowing the illumination to pass through toward the center of rotationR of the pointer 4 at the position corresponding to the through hole 53,the pointer 4 can be illuminated through the opening 73 on the reflector7 and the through hole 53 on the front panel 5, whereby the lightconductor can be eliminated not only for illuminating the front panel 5,but also for illuminating the pointer 4, and a common light source 6 canbe used for illuminating the front panel 5 and the pointer 4, therebyeliminating the necessity of specifically providing a separate lightsource for the pointer, and thus achieving cost reduction and weightreduction.

Though an example in which both of the front panel 5 and the pointer 4are illuminated is shown in this embodiment, the illuminating means onthe side of the pointer 4 is arbitrary as far as at least the side ofthe front panel 5 can be illuminated. In addition, though the instrumentbody 3 is disposed behind the circuit board 1 in this embodiment, theinstrument body 3 may be disposed in front of the circuit board 1 if theillumination of the pointer 4 is not specially considered.

In this embodiment, since the reflector 7 with a cylindrical portion 74is disposed inside of the first reflecting portion 75 and surroundingthe opening 73, the illumination from the light source 6 can be guidedto the center of rotation R of the pointer 4 effectively, therebyenhancing the illuminating efficiency of the pointer 4.

In this embodiment, since a plurality of light sources 6 is disposed onthe concentric circles with the drive shaft 2 as a center, bright andwell-balanced illumination can be realized.

In this embodiment, since the first reflecting portion 75 is formed ofan inclined surface that is inclined by a prescribed angle with respectto the front panel 5 so as to reflect a light from the light source 6toward the outer periphery (toward the second reflecting portion 77),and in this case, since the inclined surface constituting the firstreflecting portion 75 is formed into an approximately conical shapesurrounding the drive shaft 2, a light from the light source 6 can bereflected toward the outer periphery in good balance.

In this embodiment, since the second reflecting portion 77 is formed ofan inclined curved surface that approaches the front panel 5 with thedistance from the center, and in this case, the inclined curved surfaceconstituting the second reflecting portion is formed so that theinclined angle with respect to the front panel 5 increases with thedistance from the center thereof, the front panel 5 can be illuminatedmore uniformly. The second reflecting portion 77 is not limited to theinclined curved surface, but may be an inclined plane, a combination ofa plurality of inclined planes of which the inclined angles with respectto the front panel 5 are different, or a combination of an inclinedplane and an inclined curved surface.

In this embodiment, since the reflector 7 is formed of a whitishsynthetic resin material, the cost and weight can advantageously bereduced.

Since a glossy surface is employed for the wall surface of the reflector7, the reflecting efficiency of the reflector 7 can be increased.

Referring now to FIG. 6, the second embodiment of the present inventionwill be described.

Incidentally, this embodiment is a modified example of the firstreflecting portion in the first embodiment.

In other words, in the first embodiment described above, the firstreflecting portion 75 is constructed into a single conical shapesupporting for a plurality of (three) light sources 6. However, in thisembodiment, the first reflecting portion 75 is formed into a pluralityof (three) pieces for supporting the light sources 6 respectively, andeach of them is formed into a semi-conical shape so that the respectivefirst reflecting portions 75 face to the respective light sources 6 toreflect the illumination toward the outer periphery. In thisarrangement, the same effect as the first embodiment described above isexpected.

Referring now to FIG. 7, the third embodiment of the present inventionwill be described. This embodiment shows the case where each of thefront panel and the pointer has a light source specifically providedthereto.

In other words, in this embodiment, the instrument body 3 is disposedbehind the circuit board 1 so as to pass the drive shaft 2 through thecircuit board 1, the pointer 4 is formed of a light-emitting pointerthat emits a light upon reception of the light supply from the center ofrotation R, the front panel 5 is formed with a through hole 53 forexposing the center of rotation R of the pointer 4, a first light source61 for illuminating the pointer 4 is provided on the front side of thecircuit board 1 at the position corresponding to the through hole 53,and a second light source 62 for illuminating the display portion 52 isdisposed at the position outside the first light source 61 and on thedrive shaft side 2 with respect to the display portion 52 (in this case,the position adjacent to the first light source 61).

The reflector 7 is provided with an opening 73 for allowing theillumination from the first light source 61 toward the center ofrotation R of the pointer 4 (light-receiving reflecting portion 43), afirst reflecting portion 75 facing to the second light source 62 forreflecting the illumination from the second light source toward theouter periphery, and the second reflecting portion 77 extending outwardwith an appropriate space interposed between itself and the front panel5 so as to surround the second light source 62 for reflecting toward thefront panel 5 the illumination reflected by the first reflecting portion75, so that the display portion 52 and the pointer 4 are simultaneouslyilluminated.

In this embodiment in such an arrangement, the illumination from thefirst light source 61 reaches the center of rotation R of the pointer 4through the opening 73 on the reflector 7 and the through hole 53 of thefront panel 5 to illuminate the pointer 4 (indicating portion 41), andthe illumination emitted from the second light source 62 reaches thefront panel 5 through the first and the second reflecting portions 75,77 of the reflector 7 to illuminate the display portion 52, whereby thelight conductor can be eliminated not only for illuminating the frontpanel 5, but also for illuminating the pointer 4, thereby realizing costreduction and weight reduction. In addition, since the first and thesecond light source 61 and 62 are provided for the front panel 5 and thepointer 4 respectively, the quantity of light that reaches the frontpanel 5 and the pointer 4 respectively may be increase, therebyenhancing the illuminating luminance.

In this embodiment, the second light source 62 is preferably disposed atthe position on the drive shaft side at a prescribed distance away fromthe display portion 52, and the second reflecting portion 77 may beformed to cover the area behind the front panel 5 including at least thedisplay portion 52.

This embodiment is constructed in such a manner that a partition 78extending from the cylindrical portion 74 surrounding the opening 73 isprovided continuously in the direction of the axis of drive shaft 2 sothat the first light source 61 and the second light source 62 areseparated by the partition 78. In this arrangement, the partition 78together with the cylindrical portion 74 are allowed to serve as a lightguiding portion for guiding the illumination from the first light source61 to the pointer 4, thereby increasing the illumination efficiency ofthe pointer. Since the partition 78 is provided in such a manner, thecross sections of the cylindrical portion 74 including the partition 78and the first reflecting portion 75 is approximately Y-shape.

In this embodiment, pluralities of the first and second light sources61, 62 are arranged respectively on the concentric circles with thedrive shaft 2 as a center, thereby a bright and well-balancedillumination can be realized.

As in this embodiment, when the construction in which the first lightsource 61 and the second light source 62 are separated by the partition78 (cylindrical portion 74) is employed, the colors of illumination fromthe first light source 61 and from the second light source 62 may bedifferent from each other, and even these colors are different, thepartition 78 can prevent these colors of illumination from therespective light sources 61, 62 from intervening, thereby enhancing thequality of the illumination.

Referring now to FIG. 8 to FIG. 13, the fourth embodiment of the presentinvention will be described.

As is clear from FIG. 8 to FIG. 12, though the constructions of thecircuit board, the instrument body, the pointer, and the front panel arethe same as those in the first to third embodiments described above, theconstructions of the light source and the reflector differ from thefirst to third embodiments described above.

In other words, the light sources 61, 62 of this embodiment comprises,as shown in FIG. 11 and FIG. 12f a first light source 61 formed of achip-type light emitting diode for illuminating the pointer 4, and asecond light source 62 formed of a chip-type light-emitting diode forilluminating the display portion 52 of the front panel 5.

These first and second light sources 61, 62 comprises, as shown in FIG.13(a) and (b), the cases 611, 621 formed of an insulating material,diode chips 612, 622 disposed on the recessed portions on the cases 611,621, and a pair of leads 613, 623 for supplying electricity to the diodechips 612, 622 fixed by molding on the cases 611, 621, in which theopening side of the recessed portions on the cases 611, 621 serves aslight emitting portion 61 a, 62 a for emitting the illumination.

Three pieces of the first light source 61, from between the first andthe second light sources 61, 62 in this arrangement, are disposed in theshaft hole 11 on the circuit board 1 or in the vicinity of the margin ofthe drive shaft 2 corresponding to the through hole 53 on the frontpanel 5 as shown in FIG. 11, in such a manner that each of them arelocated at almost regular intervals on the concentric circles with thedrive shaft 2 as a center respectively, in such a manner that thelight-emitting portions 61 a of these first light sources 61 areconductively fixed (held) by soldering or the like on the front side ofthe circuit board 1 facing to the center of rotation R of the pointer 4(upper side of FIG. 11).

On the other hand, three pieces of the second light sources 62 aredisposed outside of the first light sources 61 on the side where thedrive shaft 2 resides with respect to the display portion 52 in such amanner that each of them are located at almost regular intervals on theconcentric circles with the drive shaft 2 as a center respectively, insuch a manner that the light-emitting portions 62 a of the second lightsources 62 are conductively fixed (held) by soldering or the like on thefront side of the circuit board 1 facing to the opposite side from thedrive shaft 2 (lateral direction in FIG. 11 and FIG. 12). The secondlight sources 62 are preferably positioned at a prescribed distance awayfrom the display portion 52 on the side where the drive shaft 2 resides.

In this embodiment, the reflector 700 is formed of an injection-moldedbody in a whitish synthetic resin in the shape of a case, and as shownin FIGS. 10-12, it comprises a peripheral wall portion 701 formed intoan annular shape corresponding to the shape of arrangement of displayportion 52 on the front panel 5, an extending portion 702 extending fromthe front side of the peripheral wall portion 701 partially along thefront panel 5 toward the center (toward the drive shaft 2), acylindrical partition 704 supported by the extending portion 702 andhaving an opening 703 at the position corresponding to the through hole53 on the front panel 5, an annular opened portion 705 opening so as tosurround the partition 704 to expose the second light source 62 towardthe front side, and a reflecting portion 706 extending from the frontside of the peripheral wall portion 701 except for the extending portion702 toward the opened portion 703 (toward the second light source 62).

In this case, at least the inner wall surface of the partition 704 andthe outer wall surface of the reflector 706 on the side of the frontpanel 5 are formed into glossy surfaces by surface polishing of theforming die or clear coating after molding in order to increase thereflectivity of light on these surfaces. In this embodiment, though aplurality of reflectors 700 are arranged corresponding to the number ofthe instrument bodies 3, the plurality of reflectors 700 may be formedinto a single piece unit.

The partition 704 extends toward the circuit board 1 in the direction ofthe axis of the drive shaft 2 so as to surround the opening 703 toaccommodate the first light source 61 therein, and guides theillumination from the light source 61 routed through the opening 703forward (toward the side of the pointer 4) and conduct it to the centerof rotation R of the pointer 4. In this case, the partition 704 servesalso to separate the first light source 61 and the second light source62.

The reflecting portion 706 is an inclined surface extending outward(toward the front side of the peripheral wall portion 701) with anairspace S interposed between itself and the front panel 5 so as tosurround the peripheral area of the second light source 62 andapproaching the front panel 5 with the distance from the center, andforms a curved surface (inclined curved surface) the inclined angle ofwhich with respect to the front panel 5 increase with the distance fromthe center, so as to reflect the illumination from the second lightsource 62, the light-emitting portion 62 a of which faces the oppositeside from the drive shaft 2, toward the front panel 5. The reflectingportion 706 may be formed so as to cover the area behind the front panel5 including at least the display portion 52.

In such an arrangement, when the first light source 61 emits a light,the illumination that advanced from the light-emitting portion 61 aforward reaches passes through the partition 704 and the opening 703 ofthe reflector 700, and the through hole 53 on the front panel 5 andreaches the center of rotation R of the pointer 4 (light-receivingportion 43), thereby illuminating the indicating portion 41 of thepointer 4 brightly over the whole rotating range thereof. When thesecond light source 62 emits a light, the illumination advanced from thelight-emitting portion 62 a to the opposite side from the drive shaft 2is reflected by the reflecting portion 706 of the reflector 700 towardthe front panel 5, thereby the display portion 52 arranged according tothe rotating orbit of the pointer 4 brightly and almost uniformly.

As is described thus far, the instrument apparatus of this embodimentcomprises a circuit board 1, an instrument body 3 disposed on thecircuit board 1 with a drive shaft 2 extended forward, a pointer 4 to bemounted on the tip side of the drive shaft 2, a front panel 5 disposedbetween the pointer 4 and the circuit board 1 and having a displayportion 52 corresponding to the pointer 4, a light source 62 (the secondlight source) located on the side of the drive shaft 2 with respect tothe display portion 52 in front of the circuit board 1 for illuminatingthe display portion 52, and a reflector 700 disposed between the frontpanel 5 and the circuit board 1, in which the light source 62 is held bythe circuit board in such a manner that the light-emitting portion 62 athereof faces the opposite side from the drive shaft 2, and thereflector 700 is provided with a reflecting portion 706 extendingoutward with an airspace S interposed between itself and the front panel5 so as to surround the light source 62 for reflecting the illuminationfrom the light-emitting portion 62 a toward the front panel 5, wherebythe front panel 5 can be illuminated brightly and almost uniformlywithout using the light conductor as in the case of the related art,thereby eliminating the light conductor for illuminating the front panel5 and realizing cost reduction and weight reduction.

In this embodiment, since the pointer 4 is constructed of alight-emitting pointer that emits a light upon reception of the lightsupply from the center of rotation R of the pointer 4, a through hole 53is formed for exposing the center of rotation R of the pointer 4 on thefront panel 5, a first light source 61 is provided on the circuit board1 at the position corresponding to the through hole 53 with thelight-emitting portion 61 a thereof faced forward, an opening 703 isprovided on the reflector 700 at the position corresponding to thethrough hole 53 for allowing the illumination from the first lightsource 61 to pass toward the center of rotation R of the pointer 4, andthe illumination is supplied through the opening 703 and the throughhole 53 on the front panel 5 to the center of rotation R of the pointer4 to illuminate the pointer 4, the light conductor can be eliminated notonly for illuminating the front panel 5, but also illuminating thepointer 4, thereby realizing cost reduction and weight reductionaccordingly.

In this embodiment, since the first and second light sources 61, 62 arespecifically provided for illuminating both of the front panel 5 and thepointer 4 respectively, the quantity of light that reaches each of thefront panel 5 and the pointer 4 may be increased to increase theilluminating luminance.

Since this embodiment is constructed in such a manner that theillumination from the second light source 62 having a light-emittingportion 62 a facing to the opposite side from the drive shaft 2 (towardthe lateral direction) is reflected through the reflecting portion 706of the reflector 700 toward the front panel 5 for illuminating the frontpanel 5, dimming means for rendering the illumination uniform (forexample, disposition of a diffusion plate behind the front panel 5 orprinting of a dimming mask on the front panel 5 itself) are notspecifically necessary, thereby contributing significantly to costreduction and reducing the distance between the front panel 5 and thecircuit board 1, which is advantageous for slimming of the apparatus.

In this embodiment, since the illumination from the first light source61 can be efficiently guided to the center of rotation R of the pointer4 by providing a partition 704 on the reflector 700 so as to surroundthe first light source 61, thereby increasing the illuminatingefficiency of the pointer 4.

Since the first light source 61 and the second light source 62 isseparated by the partition 704, interference between the illuminationsfrom the first light source 61 and the second light source 62 can beprevented, and when the colors of the emitted light from the first lightsource 61 and from the second light source 62 differ from each other,interference of the colors with each other can be prevented, therebyenhancing the quality of the illumination.

In this embodiment, since a plurality of first and second light sources61, 62 disposed on the concentric circles with the drive shaft 2 as acenter for illuminating the pointer 4 and the front panel 5, a brightand well-balanced illumination can be realized.

In this embodiment, since the reflecting portion 706 is formed of aninclined curved surface that approaches the front panel 5 with thedistance from the center thereof for illuminating the front panel 5, andin this case, the inclined curved surface constituting the reflectingportion 706 is formed so that the inclined angle with respect to thefront panel 5 increases with the distance from the center thereof, thefront panel 5 can be illuminated more uniformly. Incidentally, thereflecting portion 706 is not limited to the inclined curved surface,but may be an inclined plane, a combination of a plurality of inclineplanes of which the inclined angle with respect to the front panel 5 aredifferent, or a combination of an inclined plane and an inclined curvedsurface.

In this embodiment, since the reflector 700 is formed of a whitishsynthetic resin material, the cost and weight can advantageously bereduced.

In this embodiment, since a glossy surface is employed for the wallsurface of the reflector 7, the reflecting efficiency of the reflector700 can be increased.

In this embodiment, since the instrument body 3 is not positioned infront of the circuit board 1 because it is disposed behind the circuitboard 1 so that the drive shaft 2 passes through the circuit board 1 andextends forward, the flexibility of the layout of the first and thesecond light sources 61, 62 can be increased.

Referring now to FIG. 14, the fifth embodiment of the present inventionwill be described.

This embodiment employs the first and the second light sourceconstructed of a mold-type light-emitting diode instead of the first andthe second light sources constructed of a chip-type light-emitting diodeas in the fourth embodiment.

In other words, the first and the second light sources 61, 62 of thisembodiment is constructed in such a manner that diode chips, which arenot shown, are sealed in convex lens portions 614, 624 of a translucentmaterial and leads 615, 625 for supplying electricity are exposed fromthe lens portions 614, 624. In this case, the lead 624 on the side ofthe second light source 62 is bent by about 90 degrees. With the firstand the second light sources 61, 62 constructed of mold-typelight-emitting diode, the same effect as in the fourth embodiment asdescribed above can be expected.

When the mold-type light-emitting diode is used, positioning means fordetermining the orientation of the light-emitting portions 61 a, 92 aand the position thereof may be added. As such positioning means, aholder member may be specifically provided on the circuit board, or sucha function as a holder member may be given to the reflector 700.

Though it is not shown, by arranging a semi-translucent panel of a darkcolor formed of a smoked material in front of the pointer 4 and thefront panel 5, the light-emitting image of the display portion 52 andthe pointer 4 can be displayed in the dark colored background in highcontrast when the first and the second light sources 61, 62 are lightedup, thereby enabling enhancement of visibility and presentation ofquality appearance.

In this embodiment, an example to illuminate both of the pointer 4 andthe front panel 5 by the first and the second light sources 61, 62 isshown. However, the illuminating means for the pointer 4 is arbitrary asfar as at least the front panel 5 is illuminated. On the other hand,though the instrument body 3 is disposed behind the circuit board 1 inthe fourth embodiment, the instrument body 3 may be disposed in front ofthe circuit board 1 when the illumination of the pointer 4 is notspecially considered.

Referring now to FIG. 15 to FIG. 17, the sixth embodiment of the presentinvention will be described.

This embodiment is the same construction as the first embodimentdescribed above, but reflecting film for enhancing the reflectivity oflight is provided on the reflector and on the front panel.

In other words, in this embodiment, the front panel 5 is, asspecifically shown in FIG. 17, a thin plate substrate 5 a formed of atranslucent synthetic resin having a light-blocking ground color portion51 and a translucent display portion 52 composed of an extracted area onwhich a ground color portion 51 is not formed, in which the displayportion 52 forms a scale, characters or markings arranged in an annularshape along the orbit of the pointer 4 so as to be an object ofindication. A reflecting film RF is formed between the substrate 5 a andthe ground color portion 51. The reflecting film RF and the ground colorportion 51 are respectively, for example, of printed layers formed byscreen printing, and the color ink forming the reflecting film RF usedhere is for example of a whitish color ink, which is high in reflectanceof light, and the color ink forming the ground color portion 51 use hereis for example a blackish color ink, which is high in light absorptanceand has a light-blocking property, and in this case, the reflecting filmRF formed of printed reflecting layers is applied on almost the wholearea of the substrate 5 a so as to avoid the extracted area that servesas the display portion 52, to cover around the same, and to face to thesecond reflecting portion 77 of the reflector 7. Though the reflectingfilm RF may be formed on the back side of the substrate 5 a, forming thesame on the front surface of the substrate 5 a as in this embodimentenables to enhance the smoothness of the surface of the back side of thereflecting film RF, which is the side where the light source 6 resides,thereby increasing light reflectivity. While the reflecting film RF isprovided on almost the entire surface of the substrate 5 a in thisembodiment, it is also possible to provide only o n the desired area onthe substrate 5 a so that at least a part thereof faces to the secondreflecting portion 77.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 15 and FIG. 16, the firstreflecting portion 75 of the reflector 7 is formed with a reflectingfilm RF on the wall surface facing to the second light source 62 alongthe surface configuration of the first reflecting portion 75. Thereflecting film RF is formed, for example, of a reflecting layer insilver metallic color formed by vapor deposition of metal such asaluminum or the like, the surface of which is mirror-finished and has ahigher light reflecting property than the base of the first reflectingportion 75 of whitish color, so that the illumination from the secondlight source 62 is strongly reflected outward.

As is described thus far, according to this embodiment, since reflectingfilms RF for enhancing the light reflecting property are provided on thefirst reflecting portion 75 and the front panel 5 respectively, theillumination from the second light source 62 is strongly reflectedtoward the outer periphery by the reflecting film RF on the side of thereflector 7, and the illumination reached the area of the front panel 5other than the display portion 52 is efficiently reflected toward theback side of the front panel 5 by the reflecting film RF on the side ofthe front panel 5 so as to be reused for illuminating the displayportion 52, whereby the reflectivity of light in the illuminationchamber (in the airspace S) comprising the front panel 5, the first andthe second reflecting portion 75, 77, the partition 74, the portion ofthe circuit board corresponding to the second light source 62 can beincreased, thereby increasing the illumination supplied to the displayportion 52 to increase the illumination luminance, and realizing almostuniform and bright illumination. In addition, the need for thecomponents such as the light conductor or the diffusion plate forilluminating the front panel 5 can be negating, thereby achieving costreduction and weight reduction. In addition, by the action of renderingthe illumination uniform via the first and the second reflectingportions, the need for various dimming means such as complicated tuningoperation (such as dimming mask printing or light diffusion printing onthe front panel 5) of the illumination for rendering the illuminationuniform or adjusting the balance can be negated or minimized, therebyachieving productivity improvement and cost reduction. Since alight-emitting diode is used as the light source 6, it is alsopreferable in terms of environment.

According to this embodiment, since the instrument body 3 is disposedbehind the circuit board 1 to allow the drive shaft 2 to pass throughthe circuit board 1, the pointer 4 is constructed of a light-emittingpointer that emits a light upon reception of the light supply from thecenter of rotation thereof, the front panel 5 is formed with a throughhole 53 for exposing the center of rotation R of the pointer 4, thefirst light source 61 for illuminating the pointer 4 is disposed on thefront side of the circuit board 1 at the position corresponding to thethrough hole 53, the reflector 7 is provided with an opening 73 forpassing the illumination from the first light source 61 toward thecenter of rotation R of the pointer 4, so that the pointer 4 isilluminated via the opening 73 and the through hole 53 of the frontpanel 5, the pointer 4 can be illuminated brightly together with thefront panel. By illuminating the front panel 5 and the pointer 4respectively by specifically provided first and the second light sources61, 62, the quantity of light that reach the display portion 52 and thepointer 4 respectively can be increased to enhance the illuminationluminance.

Though the example in which the front panel 5 and the pointer 4 are bothilluminated is shown in this embodiment, the illuminating means for thepointer 4 is arbitrary as far as at least the front panel 5 can beilluminated, and when the illumination of high luminance is required forthe pointer 4, the light-emitting pointer having, for example, a lightsource such as a light-emitting diode integrated in the pointer itselfmay be employed. Though the instrument body 3 is disposed behind thecircuit board 1 in this embodiment, when the illumination for thepointer 4 is not specially considered, the instrument body 3 may bedisposed in front of the circuit board 1.

Though both of the first reflecting portion 75 and the front panel 5 areprovided with reflecting films RF in this embodiment, the reflectingfilm RF may be provided on either one of the first reflecting portion 75and the front panel 5 according to the required illumination luminanceor the like. Though it is also possible to provide the second reflectingportion 77 with this type of reflecting film RF, when forming areflecting film on this portion, care must be taken for the lightreflecting characteristics of the reflecting film, and thus selectingthe reflecting film RF with low reflectivity and having light diffusionproperty is more advantageous for rendering the illumination uniformthan selecting the reflecting film RF formed of a silver mirror surfaceas is formed on the first reflecting portion 75. If anything, when thesecond reflecting portion 77 is in whitish color as is in thisembodiment, there is a case where the base of the second reflectingportion 77 is superior in terms of light diffusion reflectivity than thereflecting film, and thus the application of the reflecting film to thisportion may be avoided.

Though the reflecting film RF on the side of the first reflectingportion 75 is determined to be a silver mirror surface and thereflecting film RF on the side of the front panel 5 is determined to bewhitish color in this embodiment, the reflecting characteristics or thecolor of the reflecting films RF may be selected arbitrarily accordingto the required illumination luminance as far as formation of thesefilms can increase the light reflectivity of that portion or of itselfin comparison with the case where these films are not formed. Forexample, the reflecting film RF on the side of the front panel 5 isformed in a metal color or a metal colored mirror surface to furtherincrease the illumination luminance, or the reflecting film RF on theside of the first reflecting portion 75 is formed in a metal colorhaving less reflectivity than the mirror surface to suppress theillumination luminance.

Referring now to FIG. 18, the seventh embodiment of the presentinvention will be described. The different point of this embodiment fromthe sixth embodiment described above is that the reflector is dividedinto the first case body and the second case body, and the front side ofthe front panel including the pointer is covered by the semi-translucentpanel of dark color.

In other words, the first case body 711 comprises a peripheral wallportion 71, a second reflecting portion 77, and a partition 74, and thesecond case body 712 comprises a first reflecting portion 75 and thehook portion 79 continuously provided, and in this case, the secondcases body 712 is fixedly engaged with the circuit board 1 via the hookportion 79. In this case, the front panel 5 is provided with areflecting film as in the case of the sixth embodiment.

The semi-translucent panel 8 is formed of a “smoked panel”, throughwhich the images of the pointer 4 and the display portion 52 formed bylighting up of the first and the second light sources 61, 62 are viewed,high contrast display such that the illuminated image is floating in thedark background is obtained.

As is described thus far, since the first reflecting portion 75 togetherwith the second case body 712 is separated from the first case body 711,the same effect as in the sixth embodiment can be obtained, and inaddition, when forming the reflecting film on the first reflectingportion 75, the formation thereof is facilitated, thereby improving theoperability. Since the front side of the front panel 5 is covered by thesemi-translucent panel 8 in a dark color, the illumination image can bedisplayed in high contrast, thereby giving a quality appearance toenhance the productivity in spite of its low cost and reduced weight.Division of reflector 7 or employment of a semi-translucent panel 8 asdescribed above is applicable not only to this embodiment, but also toeach embodiment of the present invention. When dividing the reflector 7,the partition 74 in addition to the first reflecting portion 75 can alsobe separated.

Referring now to FIG. 19, FIG. 20, the eighth embodiment of the presentinvention will be described.

In this embodiment, the front panel comprises a first display portionand a second display portion, wherein these display portions areilluminated respectively by the second light source.

In other words, the first display portion 52 a, corresponding to thepointer 4, is a plurality of principal indexes comprising a scale,characteristics, and marks arranged in an annular shape, and the seconddisplay portion 52 b, also corresponding to the pointer 4, is aplurality of auxiliary indexes including a scale, characteristics andmarks arranged in a smaller annular configuration than the configurationof the first display portion 52 a. The first display portion 52 a isilluminated by the second light source 62 via the first and the secondreflecting portion 75, 77 as the display portion in the first and thesecond embodiment described above, and the second display portion 52 bis illuminated by the illumination from the second light source 62leaked toward the front side via the hole portion 751 formed at theintermediate position between the first reflecting portion 75 and thewall portion extending from the first reflecting portion 75 toward thecircuit board 1 along the arranged configuration of the second displayportion 52 b. The point that the front panel 5 is provided with areflecting film RF is the same as the sixth and seventh embodiments.

In this arrangement, the first and the second display portions 52 a, 52b can be illuminated by the first light source 62, whereby the need forproviding the light source for illuminating the second display portion52 b separately is not required, thereby reducing the cost.

Though an example in which the second display portion 52 b isconstructed of an auxiliary indexed arranged in an annular configurationis shown in this embodiment, it is also possible to dispose a suitablenumbers of characters or marks as appropriate at the prescribedlocations on the front panel 5 in stead of the auxiliary indexes, sothat they are illuminated through the hole portion 751.

Referring now to FIG. 21, the ninth embodiment of the present inventionwill be described.

In this embodiment, in addition to the same construction as the fourthembodiment, the front panel 5 is provided with a reflecting film as inthe sixth to eighth embodiments, though it is not shown.

In this arrangement, not only the same effect as the sixth to eighthembodiments may be expected, but also further improvement of theillumination efficiency may be expected by illuminating the displayportion 52 via the second light source 62 that emits the illuminationdirectly toward the outer periphery by the light-emitting portion 62 afacing to the opposite side from the drive shaft 2 and the reflectingportion 706 for reflecting the illumination from the second light source62 toward the front panel 5.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The present invention is applicable not only to the instrument apparatusto be mounted on automotive vehicles, but also to the instrumentapparatus to be mounted on various mobile bodies such as ships,airplanes, and the like.

What is claimed is:
 1. An instrument apparatus as set forth in claim 1,characterized in that said instrument body is disposed behind saidcircuit board in such a manner that the drive shaft pass through saidcircuit board, in that said pointer is constructed so as to emit a lightupon reception of the light supply from the center of rotation hereof,in that said front panel is formed with a through hole for exposing thecenter of rotation of said pointer, in that said light source isdisposed at the position corresponding to said through hole, and in thatsaid reflector includes an opening for allowing said illumination topass toward the center of rotation of said pointer at the positioncorresponding to said through hole.
 2. An instrument apparatuscomprising: a circuit board; an instrument body disposed behind thecircuit board and provided with a drive shaft extending through saidcircuit board to the front; a pointer fitted on the tip of said driveshaft for emitting a light upon reception of the light supply from thecenter of rotation; a front panel disposed between the pointer and saidcircuit board, and including a through hole for exposing the displayportion corresponding to said pointer and the center of rotation of saidpointer; a first light source disposed in front of said circuit board atthe position corresponding to said through hole for illuminating saidpointer; a second light source disposed in front of said circuit board,which is the outside of the first light source and the side where saiddrive shaft resides with respect to said display portion forilluminating said display portion; and a reflector disposed between saidfront panel and said circuit board, characterized in that said reflectorincludes an opening for allowing the illumination from said first lightsource to pass toward the center of rotation of said pointer at theposition corresponding to said through hole, a first reflecting portionlocated outside of the opening to face to said second light source forreflecting the illumination from said second light source toward theouter periphery, and a second reflecting portion extending towardoutside with an appropriate airspace interposed between itself and saidfront panel so as to surround said second light source for reflectingthe illumination from said second light source toward said front panel.3. An instrument apparatus as set forth in claim 2, characterized inthat said reflector includes a partition surrounding said opening andextending in the direction of the axis of said drive shaft forseparating said first light source and said second light source.
 4. Aninstrument apparatus as set forth in claim 3, characterized in that saidpartition is provided with said first reflecting portion.
 5. Aninstrument apparatus as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that saidfirst reflecting portion is formed of an inclined surface or an inclinedcurved surface inclined by a prescribed angle with respect to said frontpanel.
 6. An instrument apparatus as set forth in claim 5, characterizedin that said inclined surface of said inclined curved surface is formedinto a conical shape which surrounds said drive shaft.
 7. An instrumentapparatus as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that said secondreflecting portion is formed of an inclined surface or an inclinedcurved surface that approaches to said front panel with the distancefrom the center.
 8. An instrument apparatus as set forth in claim 7,characterized in that said inclined surface or said inclined curvedsurface is formed in such a manner that the inclined angle with respectto the front panel increase with the distance from the center.
 9. Aninstrument apparatus as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that saidfirst reflecting portion is formed separately from said reflector. 10.An instrument apparatus as set forth in claim 2, characterized in that aplurality of said first and second light sources are disposed on theconcentric circles with said drive shaft as a center.
 11. An instrumentapparatus as set forth in claim 2, characterized in that the first lightsource and the second light source are different in color.
 12. Aninstrument apparatus as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that saidfirst reflecting portion is formed with a reflecting film.
 13. Aninstrument apparatus as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that saidfront panel has a reflecting film facing to said second reflectingportion.
 14. An instrument apparatus as set forth in claim 13,characterized in that said reflecting film is formed while avoiding saiddisplay portion.
 15. An instrument apparatus as set forth in claim 12,characterized in that said reflecting film is in metallic color.
 16. Aninstrument apparatus as set forth in claim 15, characterized in that thesurface of said reflecting film is mirror-finished.
 17. An instrumentapparatus as set forth in claim 15, characterized in that said metalliccolor is silver.
 18. An instrument apparatus as set forth in claim 1,characterized in that said instrument body is disposed behind saidcircuit board in such a manner that said drive shaft passes through saidcircuit board and extends forward.
 19. An instrument apparatus as setforth in claim 1, characterized in that said reflector is formed of awhitish synthetic resin material.
 20. An instrument apparatus as setforth in claim 1, characterized in that the wall surface of saidreflector is formed into a glossy surface.
 21. An instrument apparatusas set forth in claim 1, characterized in that said light source or saidfirst and said second light sources comprise a light-emitting diode.